Sickle cell anemia is a condition in which there are not enough healthy red blood cells to carry oxygen throughout the body. Another name for sickle cell anemia is sickle cell anemia. Sickle cell anemia is inherited as a simple recessive condition. In normal red blood cells, the cells are usually flexible and round. However, in sickle cell anemia the red blood cells become stiff and sticky. They have the shape of crescents or crescent moons. Because these cells are irregular, they can get trapped in small blood vessels. Small blood vessels slow or block blood flow. Without enough red blood cells in circulation, a person's body cannot get the adequate amount of oxygen needed to feel energized. There are many signs and symptoms of sickle cell anemia. Sickle cell anemia usually occurs after the baby is about four months old. Anemia is a sign of sickle cell disease. Red blood cells usually live for 120 days before needing to be replaced by new ones. However, sickle cells die after ten to twenty days. Another symptom of sickle cell anemia is episodes of pain. Episodes of pain are one of the main symptoms of sickle cell anemia. Pain develops because sickle-shaped red blood cells block flow through tiny blood vessels to the abdomen, joints and chest. These episodes of pain that occur periodically are called seizures. Some patients diagnosed with sickle cell disease experience pain only a few times in a year, while; others may experience varying amounts of seizures per year. Sometimes, if the pain is severe, patients may be hospitalized. Pain can also occur in the bones. To continue, hand-foot syndrome is also another symptom of sickle cell anemia. Usually a patient will have swollen hands and feet. The s......middle of paper......finance of the World Health Organization. Furthermore, 70 percent of sickle cell disease patients live in Africa. Sickle cell anemia is most commonly found in people who descend from Middle Eastern, Indian, Mediterranean, and African ancestry. This is because those geographic regions are more prone to malaria. The genetic variant of SCD is related to malaria. Therefore, wherever malaria occurs, there is sickle cell anemia. It is also believed that people who carry the sickle cell trait are less likely to contract severe forms of malaria. It is estimated that sickle cell disease will affect 90,000 to 100,000 Americans. Sickle cell disease affects a large percentage of people in Central America and a significant number of people in South America such as Brazil and the Caribbean. Sickle cell anemia is the most frequent genetic disease on earth.